IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308

ADAPTATION OF NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING TO CLIMATE

CHANGE IN THE CONTEXT OF LOW INCOME NEIGHBOURHOODS

Developed under the JnNURM scheme for Hyderabad

Santhanm Kumar1, Malakapalli Venkata Janardhan Rao2

Professor, Dept. of Architecture, SPA, JNAFA University, Hyderabad, India
skumarjnafau@gmail.com
Assoc. Prof. School of Architecture, Dayanandasagar Academy of Technology & Management, Bangalore, India.
studiozeninc@gmail.com

Abstract
This work is focused on studying the adaptation policies required to planning of neighborhood at local scale of Hyderabad
Metropolitan Region. The objectives include 1) Study, understand and establish if climate change is happening at all in the
context of Hyderabad Metropolitan Region and its impact on the Neighborhood planning. 2) If at all climate change happening,
identify the factors/Phenomena causing climate change. 3) Estimating the effects of climate change with respect to neighborhood
planning, and proposing Viable solutions acceptable by the Existing neighborhood/community.

Keywords: Climate; Neighbourhood Planning; Building Byelaws; Urban Heat Islands.

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INTRODUCTION understand the possible change in temperature and extreme

Scientific opinion is now unanimous that global temperatures
are likely to continue to rise with concomitant extreme
weather patterns and events. There is a protean body of
scientific literature available on global warming and climate
change, which is affecting urban living in every respect from
heat islands, continuous light and sea level changes as well
as severe droughts and floods paralyzing urban areas. It has
emerged as the biggest developmental challenge for the
planet, particularly on the poor. Urban planning implications
are reflected in buildings, street and community design for
more environmentally sustainable cities. As these changes
cannot be anticipated and need to be examined with a new
paradigm for urban problem solving. Communities
developed under schemes like JnNURM offers a scope to
develop a synergetic approach to building resilience to tackle
climate change at Neighborhood level.
METHODOLOGY
Quantitative data from Meteorological station at regional
level are collected done for two weather stations of
Begumpet located in the Metropolitan region of Hyderabad
and Medak which is located in the periphery of Metropolitan
Region for a period of 30 years to identify & understand the
climate changes at regional level by comparative analysis.
Qualitative data in the form of Perception studies are
conducted to understand the socio- economic in terms of
distance to work place & physical comforts in terms of
space requirements, thermal comforts of the residents
living in settlements built under slum development program
were studied. The climate change projections from various
sources viz IPCC A1, A2, scenarios were studied to
events for the region of Hyderabad.
STUDY AREA
These data sets are used to explore the shortcomings and
possibilities in the JnNURM housing scheme proposed
project at Abdulapurmet, adjacent to NH 9, Hayatnagar
mandal, Rangareddy district, Hyderabad.
ANALYSIS
Hyderabads Climate data for the last 60 years (1951-2009,
from Begum pet Weather Station) had been analysed to
understand if there is a change in the parameters like, mean
maximum/minimum temperatures, wind speed, relative
humidity, rainfall etc. Then these were compared to the
global mean temperatures and highest temperatures recorded
in the last 130 years, published by NASA-GISS.
1. It was found out that the global temperatures were
increasing by about 1C to 2C in a decade (source:
NASA- GISS), whereas comparative study of climate of
Hyderabad based on (1951-80, base period and 1980-
2009) of averaged mean Maximum temperature during
period showed that temperature has risen by 4C, in the
month of March and 1C in December and January.
Mean Minimum Temperatures have increased by 1.4C
in January and 1C in December. Evening Humidity
has increased by 6% in the month of March and May.
Average wind speed had decreased by 6km/hr. in the
month of June and July causing much discomfort and
increasing Energy Requirements. This data was also
compared against the nearby rural area called Medaks

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Volume: 04 Special Issue: 14 | NCGCT-2015 | Dec-2015, Available @ http://www.esatjournals.org 6
IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology
temperature recordings. But there was no such huge
increase in temperatures in the Medak rural area.
2. The increase in mean maximum temperatures, evening
humidity and decrease in wind speed, and marginal
increase in rainfall (Hyderabads rainfall follows the 132
year cycle of southwest monsoon, study of this data
reveals that the change in rainfall is cyclical phenomena
) establishes that the reasons for Hyderabads increase in
temperature is because of Urban Heat Islands, which are
a result of not only because of density and built form but
also because of planning of new developments without
taking into consideration, the topography, prevailing
wind directions, and preservation of water bodies.
3. With the aim of studying and understanding Climate
Change to Adapt at neighbourhood level, a socio-
economic survey was conducted with 286 households,
near Khairatabad. This is because of the similarity of
neighbourhood to that of the neighbourhoods being
developed under JnNURM scheme to understand their
perception to climate change, identify the problems in
the existing neighbourhood. Two important findings
form the survey was that the average size of the family
was about 6 people, were living in Mere 30 Sq. M
area and the place of work from where the quarters were
allotted is too far and sometimes takes about 1 hour to
travel.
4. To Estimate the effects of Climate Change Predictions
by four reputed institutes/Universities across the Globe
have been used. They are 1) National Climate Change
Policy, India. (Based on IPCC A2[1] Scenarios). 2)
IPCC Climate Change projections. 3) Climate Change
projections of Hadley Centre, U.K. 4) United Nations
University, Bonn climate change projections specifically
for Hyderabad. The outcome of all these
projections/Predictions indicated that there will be
extreme events like more than 160mm of precipitation
per day (like for example, August 2010). Average
Number of days with night temperatures with more than
27C will triple by 2050. Mean annual temperature may
go up by +5C, for Hyderabad By 2010. All this would
result in Heat Waves, Stress on Water Availability, and
Increased Extreme Events (for both Heat & Cool
Temperature.)
5. Urbanisation had led to the drastic changes in Land use
and Land cover changes over the past thirty years in
many cities across the world. As a result water bodies
are lost and traditional methods of cooling the city by
evaporation from water bodies and evapotranspiration
from tree cover and changes in albedo have led to the
formation of Heat islands and urban canyons.
6. Auto Cad Ecotect Analysis software was used to
simulate the year around shadows, incident solar
radiation, to arrive at best possible orientation of
buildings, with respect to Sun Angles. It was found out
that the best orientation would be to orient the Long side
of the Building on North-South Cardinal Points. It was
further found out that most of the wind direction in
Hyderabad was in East-West Axis; hence most of the
openings are suggested in these cardinal points to take
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Volume: 04 Special Issue: 14 | NCGCT-2015 | Dec-2015, Available @ http://www.esatjournals.org
eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308
advantage of Air movements. All this is at Building
level.
RECOMMENDATIONS
A minimum built up area of 45 square meters
Balconies provided on the West side to cut of direct
radiation on the western walls.
Orient the Long side of the Building on North-South
Cardinal Points at 12 degrees angle towards South.
At Site planning level, Trees are suggested @ one for
every 100 SQ.M, also, trees like Azardiracta Indica,
Saeiamia saman, have been suggested which will help in
evapotranspiration and with its evergreen thick foliage
gives much need relief in the sun during summers.
Rainwater Harvesting, Cool Roofs, Buildings orientation
to proper solar angles, increasing the evapotranspiration
through planting specific species of trees, Providing a
minimum of 45 Sq.M of built up area, Planning of
Settlements close to work rather than gentrification of
City cores, are some of the technical solutions these
thesis purposes.
Neighborhood planning must consider likely increase in
heat waves.
Geometric variables and construction variables should be
considered in planning and designing buildings in the
neighborhood.
Passive methods of cooling should be adopted.
However more than technical solutions, Climate Change
Adaptation Measures have to be taken by both, structured
and not-structured forms of Planning especially when
dealing with the economically weak and climate vulnerable
societies. Policies need to be framed incorporating Climate
Change/ Climate Responsive designs in BUSP(Basic
services for Urban Poor) when taking up Urban Renewal
through JnNURM(Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal
Mission).
CONCLUSIONS
Study found some adaptation measures such as forest
protection, utilization of marginal lands by planting trees
and grasses, crop diversifications in their farming practices.
However, poor and marginalized groups were unaware
regarding climate change impacts and adaptation measures.
Thus, these measures were found to be event specific based
on local knowledge and innovations, and not actually to
cope with the impacts of climate change.
India is a developing nation with technological and
monetary constraints, also the Ecological, Carbon and Food
print of India is very low when compared against developed
countries. So adaptation to climate change is the best
strategy for a developing country like India.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I thank all my colleagues, friends, teachers and consultants
who helped me throughout my endeavor.
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IJRET: International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology eISSN: 2319-1163 | pISSN: 2321-7308

REFRENCES
[1] IPCC Climate Change Report.
[2] UN-Habitat, Cities and Climate Change:Global Report
on Human Settlements, 2011
[3] UN-Habitat, Planning for Climate Change, A Strategic
value based approach for urban Planners
[4] UN-Habitat, Local leadership for climate change action
[5] UNEP, Mainstreaming Climate change adaptation into
Development Planning: A guide for practitioner
[6] Lamb, H, Changing Climate, Routledge, 2011
[7] Dam, Jan C. Van. Impacts of Climate Change and
Climate variability. Cambridge University Press
[8] Dubash, Navroz K, Hanbook of Climate Change and
India, Development, Politics and ?governance, Routledge,
2011

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